Firefighters pull angler from Little Muscamoot Bay

Anglers wait for a bite at the Lexington Harbor. Clay Township firefighters had to pull a fisherman from Little Muscamoot Bay after his four-wheeler crashed through the ice.(Photo: Times Herald)Buy Photo

He said he wouldn't be surprised if there were plenty of anglers on Anchor Bay and other inshore areas of Lake St. Clair during the three-day New Year's holiday weekend.

The National Weather Service is expecting another blast of Arctic cold to move into the area with temperatures ranging from zero to the low teens.

The U.S Coast Guard offers the following facts for ice anglers and people such as snowmobilers who venture out onto the ice:

Ice usually freezes from shore outward and new ice is stronger than old ice.

Direct freezing of lake water is stronger than ice formed from melting snow or refrozen ice

Obstruction such as rocks, logs, vegetation and pilings affect the strength of ice. Heat from these obstructions slows ice formation. Ice shifting and expanding will create pressure cracks and ridges around the obstructions.

Underwater streams or springs with flowing water will cause weak spots by keeping the water circulating, making any ice over or near moving water weak.

Ice near the shore of a frozen lake may be unsafe due to pressures outward and upward which cause cracks to appear. Ice closer to shore is weaker because of shifting, expansion, and sunlight reflecting off the bottom. This buckling shore ice continually thaws and refreezes.

The Coast Guard encourages people to remember the following tips:

I – Intelligence: Check the weather and ice conditions, know where you are going, and know how to call for help/assistance.

C- Clothing: Wear the proper anti-exposure clothes with multiple layers. If possible, wear a dry suit to prevent hypothermia, which can occur within minutes after falling through the ice.

E – Equipment: Have the proper equipment such as a marine band radio, life jackets and screw drivers or ice picks you can use to help pull yourself out of the water.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommends anglers and others check with a good local source regarding ice thickness before venturing out. Anglers also should carry a spud and check ice strength every few steps.

Venturing out on the ice:

The DNR does not recommend taking a car or truck out onto the ice at any time.

If you are walking out onto a frozen body of water with a group, avoid crossing ice in a single file.

Never venture out alone without telling a responsible adult on shore your plans.

Test ice thickness with an ice spud before you settle on a spot.

If you are with a group, avoid standing together in a spot. Spread out.

Wear a life jacket and bright colored clothing.

Take a cell phone for emergency use.

Look for large cracks or depressions in the ice and avoid those areas.

Remember ice does not form with uniform thickness on any body of water. Underwater springs and currents can wear thin spots on the ice.

If you fall through:

Try to remain calm.

Don't remove your winter clothing. Heavy clothes won't drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmobile suit.

Turn in the water toward the direction you came from — that is probably the strongest ice.

If you have them, dig the points of the ice picks into the ice and, while vigorously kicking your feet, pull yourself onto the surface by sliding forward on the ice.

Roll away from the area of weak ice. Rolling on the ice will distribute your weight to help avoid breaking through again.

Get to shelter, heat, dry clothing and warm, non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated drinks.

Call 911 and seek medical attention if you feel disoriented, have uncontrollable shivering, or have any other ill effects that may be symptoms of hypothermia (the life-threatening drop in the body's core temperature).

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477